San Francisco sues state over potentially drastic water...

1of22Water supplies at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park, pictured on July 28, 2016, would have to be steered toward fish under a plan by the State Water Resources Control Board. The city of San Francisco is not standing down in California’s latest water war, joining a lawsuit Thursday against the state for ordering more of the Sierra’s cool, crisp flows to go to fish instead of people.Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle

2of22FILE-- Looking out over Hetch Hetchy reservoir from the O'Shaughnessy Dam in Yosemite National Park, Calif. on Thurs. July 28, 2016. The city of San Francisco is not standing down in California’s latest water war, joining a lawsuit Thursday against the state for ordering more of the Sierra’s cool, crisp flows to go to fish instead of people.Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle

3of22Hetch Hetchy equipment parked at Mountain Tunnel in Yosemite Groveland, Calif. on Thurs. July 28, 2016. The city of San Francisco is not standing down in California’s latest water war, joining a lawsuit Thursday against the state for ordering more of the Sierra’s cool, crisp flows to go to fish instead of people.Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

4of22FILE-- Noah Oppenheim, of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, speaks in support of a proposal by state water officials to increase water flows for the lower San Joaquin River to protect fish, at the Capitol, Monday, Aug. 20, 2018, in Sacramento, Calif. The State Water Resources Control Board is holding hearings this week concerning a plan to allow more water to flow freely down the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta from February to June, meaning less water will be available for farming and other needs.Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press

5of22FILE-- California farmers rally at the Capitol to protest a proposal by state water officials to increase water flows for the lower San Joaquin River to protect fish, at the Capitol, Monday, Aug. 20, 2018, in Sacramento, Calif. The State Water Resources Control Board is holding hearings this week concerning a plan to allow more water to flow freely down the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta from February to June, meaning less water will be available for farming and other needs. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press

6of22FILE-- Located off Interstate 5 in Northern California, about 13 miles south of the state capital at Sacramento, the Stone Lakes Wildlife Refuge is home to thousands of migrating water fowl who follow the the 5,000-year-old Pacific Flyway.Photo: ronijava /�iStock / Getty Images Plus

7of22When washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run. Fill one basin with wash water and the other with rinse water.Photo: RyanJLane, Getty Images

8of22Water your garden early in the morning or in the evening when the weather is cooler. This saves 25 gallons each time.Photo: 25938, Getty Images

9of22Opt for a garden of drought-tolerant plants, like these colorful potted cacti.Photo: richgreentea, Getty Images/Flickr RF

21of22Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the bowl without flushing, you've got a leak. A quick fix will save water.

22of22The Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir in San Mateo County is part of the Hetch Hetchy water system from the Sierra that furnishes water to San Francisco and other Bay Area cities.Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle 2018

The city of San Francisco is not standing down in California’s latest water war, joining a lawsuit against the state on Thursday to stop it from directing more of the Sierra Nevada’s cool, crisp flows to fish instead of people.

City officials contend the State Water Resources Control Board is overreaching with a new, sweeping plan to restore California’s depleted river system by limiting draws on such water supplies as San Francisco’s Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite. The plan, according to city estimates, will force Bay Area households to cut water use by 20 percent or more.

The city signed on to the lawsuit with several Central Valley farm communities, making for unlikely allies who rarely see eye to eye on water policy. But those communities also fear being hit with drastic water reductions. While the plaintiffs have been working with state officials to try to come up with a compromise, the water users don’t want to forfeit their right to a legal challenge. The deadline to sue is the end of the week.

Thursday’s suit, filed in Tuolumne County Superior Court, threatens to upend what so far has been a divided, but civil negotiation between water users and environmental interests over the largest river restoration in decades. Taking the issue to the courts could not only sabotage a potential deal but delay work to improve the rivers.

“This legal action, while unfortunate, is needed to allow stakeholders to continue to work together on real solutions that will benefit both fish and people,” said Harlan Kelly, general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, in a statement.

The updated Bay-Delta Plan, approved by the State Water Resources Control Board on Dec. 12, is an effort to shore up the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast and the hub of California’s water supply. Wildlife in the region, including fabled salmon runs, has long been in decline and water quality is slipping.

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The state’s new plan calls for boosting flows in the rivers that feed the delta from the south. This includes the Tuolumne River, which is the site of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir about 180 miles east of San Francisco.

While cities and farms now take about 80 percent of the water that naturally flows in these rivers during spring runoff, they will be permitted to pull only 60 percent, on average, once the plan is implemented. That means drawing about 7 to 23 percent less, depending on the year, according to the state. The water board is developing similar restrictions for rivers to the north.

The Turlock Irrigation District, Oakdale Irrigation District and South San Joaquin Irrigation District, which tap the Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers for growing fruits, nuts and vegetables, are among the plaintiffs in the new lawsuit.

The Modesto Irrigation District filed a separate but similar suit Thursday. The Merced Irrigation District, which gets water from the Merced River, previously filed suit.

The state estimates that farmers in the region will see production fall 2.5 percent under the Bay-Delta Plan. Many of the growers of almonds, peaches, alfalfa and other crops expect greater losses.

The formidable alliance of San Francisco and some of the state’s largest irrigation districts has one other partner: the Trump administration. The Interior Department, as well as President Trump himself, have threatened to intervene on the side of water users, saying the state should not put the environment in front of human interests.

The U.S. government operates a reservoir on the Stanislaus River that will be subject to the state water restrictions. Federal officials have discussed suing.

The new, 160-page lawsuit argues that the state’s plan is unlawful for several reasons. The plaintiffs, many of whom have century-old claims to river water, say the state water board lacks justification to impinge on their water rights.

The suit also alleges that the board did not accurately evaluate the impact of its plan, often underestimating the fallout on cities and farms.

San Francisco officials have long said they don’t want to impair the runs of threatened salmon and hope to improve river conditions, but they can’t afford to risk losing water for residents and businesses. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission serves not only the city but more than two dozen Bay Area communities.

Instead of cutting water supplies, city and agricultural officials have advocated for restoring salmon habitat on the waterways by, among other things, building flood plains and gravel beds and killing off predatory fish.

The plaintiffs still intend to try to work on a compromise with the State Water Resources Control Board that could involve some combination of water cuts and habitat improvements. The water users offered a plan in December, but state officials said it fell short. The water board has given the water users until March to come up with an alternative proposal.

The state water board declined to comment on Thursday’s lawsuit, citing a policy of not discussing pending litigation.

Kurtis Alexander is a general assignment reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle, frequently writing about water, wildfire, climate and the American West. His recent work has focused on the impacts of drought, the widening rural-urban divide and state and federal environmental policy.

Before joining the Chronicle, Alexander worked as a freelance writer and as a staff reporter for several media organizations, including The Fresno Bee and Bay Area News Group, writing about government, politics and the environment.